Safe and Sound
by doctors gal1792
Summary: Harper, Daryl, Lilah, and Beth were separated from the prison group during the Governor's assault. Life on the road will be hard as they search for their friends, Carol, and their baby. Danger is at every turn as the world grows more volatile, & Harper's past is beating down the door, to haunt her once more. Sequel to my fic "Amazing Journey"- Daryl/OC -Spoilers for "Too Far Gone"
1. 39 days 22 Hours 40 Minutes&25 Seconds

**Title: Safe and Sound**

**Author: doctors gal1792 or hushsoundislove on tumblr**

**Rating: M**

**Warnings: Contains heavy spoilers for the mid season finale of season four, "Too Far Gone." DO NOT READ FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS.**

**Summary: Harper, Daryl, Lilah, and Beth were separated from the prison group during the Governor's assault, including baby Oliver. Now the four of them are trying to make it on the road, surviving from place to place, while searching for their friends and baby. Danger is lurking at every corner as the world grows more volatile, and Harper's past is beating down the door, to haunt her once more. Sequel to my first "The Walking Dead" fic "Amazing Journey" so you DEFINITELY need to read that one first. Like if you have not read "Amazing Journey" I appreciate you stopping by, but I kindly ask you to leave! **

**A/N- I've been tossing around these ideas in my head for awhile...and I really wanted to finish "Somebody to Talk To" first...but I wanted to get this out and then next thing I knew...I had a whole first chapter composed. This will be my beloved Abbie's final Christmas gift because she has been begging me to write a sequel...so I did. Please let me know what you think. Xo**

**xx**

Chapter 1

Thirty-Nine days, Twenty-Two Hours, Forty Minutes, and Twenty-Five Seconds

_ "Ma!" _

_ "I'm here baby boy," Harper swooped down and picked up her son. "Momma has always got you." _

_ The baby giggled and reached for his mother's hair, "Ma!" _

_ "See, I knew he'd be over his fit once he had a bit of rest." _

_ Harper turned to face Daryl, "You were right, of course." _

_ Daryl took his sons hand into his own and he kissed the tiny fist, "I just don't know what we're gon' do about all this blonde hair he's got. Too much." _

_ "Hey!" Harper fussed, "That is literally the only trait of mine that he has. The rest is all Dixon." _

_ "I dunno," Daryl raised an eyebrow at Harper, "I'm sure he is more like his momma then ya think." _

_ "I want him to be just like you though," Harper smiled and leaned over to kiss him. When she pulled back, Daryl's face had changed. The skin was dead and there was blood dripping from his face. He stumbled towards her and ripped the baby from her arms. She screamed._

–

"Harper!" Daryl shouted, "Wake up baby!"

"No, no, not my baby!" She sobbed, "Please not my baby!"

"Honey!" Daryl grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her.

Harper's eyes flew open and she looked around wildly "What-what happened? Where am I? Where's Oliver?"

Daryl sighed, "Baby you had 'nother nightmare."

Her eyes filled with tears again and Harper buried her face into Daryl's chest, "I just want our baby back."

"Momma?"

Daryl turned his head to the quiet voice who had just poked her head through the partition in the family size tent they were all sleeping in, "Lilah baby, it's okay. Momma just had a bad dream."

Lilah frowned, "Was it about Oli?"

"Yeah baby girl," He replied honestly, "It was." Daryl sighed as he held Harper tightly, "Just go 'head and get some sleep. We'll be up soon t'start movin' again."

Lilah nodded, "Okay Daryl."

Harper's body shook as she cried into Daryl's chest, "You were one of them this time. Then you took Oliver from me. Lilah was one." She looked up at Daryl, "I can't do this. I just can't keep going on thinking he is still magically okay."

Daryl took her face into his hands, "Oliver is fine. I know he is."

"How do you know that, Daryl?" She whimpered.

"'Cause I just do," Daryl said. He pressed his lips to her forehead, "Try to sleep. I'm not goin' anywhere, so just sleep." Daryl relaxed back into the sleeping bag, slowly pulling Harper down into the comfort of his arms. He was silent as he listened to her breathing until it became a deep breathing, and he knew she was asleep. Daryl's eyes stared up at the roof of the tent, slowly counting the drops of rain as they began, until they grew too numerous for him to keep a track of.

"Don't you worry boy," Daryl whispered, "Your momma and daddy are comin' to get ya."

It had been exactly thirty-nine days, twenty-two hours, forty minutes, and twenty-five seconds since Daryl and Harper had last seen their son. Thirty-nine days, twenty-two hours, forty minutes, and twenty-six seconds since they had stood at the prison gates, watched Hershel Greene be brutally murdered.

_"Daryl?" Harper came running out of the prison. She had been keeping an eye on the kids who were in confinement, away from those who had been ill. Daryl had ordered here to stay with the others who hadn't been exposed to the illness that had killed so many of their friends. It had been hard on Harper Jefferson, who had become very stubborn; a side affect of being Daryl Dixon's girlfriend. _

_ "Harper," Daryl turned around and saw her running over to him. He took her hand into his, "Quiet." He pulled her over to the prison gate where the others were standing, armed, and holding assault rifles behind their backs. _

_ "What is going on," Harper asked as she took a gun from Daryl. _

_ "It's the Governor," Daryl whispered, "He's got Michonne an' Hershel." _

_ Harper squinted her eyes and saw to her horror, a katana-Michonne's katana, held against Hershel's neck. Then there was Rick, standing down in the fields, pleading with the Governor. He was making a convincing case and everything seemed to be working out. But then, Hershel was falling over, Beth and Maggie were crying out, Rick was shooting, and then the tanks began to fire towards the prison again, taking down the fence and everything they had worked hard on during the last few months. _

_ Harper stood by Daryl and they fired their guns, fighting for their home and Hershel. Every time she tried to get down to the field to help Rick, Harper would get pushed back by the oncoming assault of the Governor's men. She dived behind one of the sheds that she had helped Daryl to build in the spring time, and fired off her weapon to the oncoming walkers, turning back to see Daryl just as a walker was about to be upon him. "Daryl!" She screamed. He reacted and the walker was dead in a second. _

_ "Get the kids!" He shouted back at her, "Get them and get the Hell out of here!" _

_ Harper got to her feet and began to run towards the back exit of the prison, where she knew she could get to the safe room where the kids were. But Tyreese was there, with Lizzie, Lilah, and the others. "Lilah!" Harper shouted, "Where is your brother?" _

_ "Mom!" Lilah ran over to her mother, swinging her gun behind her back, "I don't know. We left him with Judith and went to get guns to help." _

_ "Lilah!" Harper cried in despair, "Where did you leave your brother?" _

_ "Over here," Lilah took her mother's hand and lead her around the prison, the pair ducking whenever gun fire came their way. But when they got to the spot, there was nothing but two empty car seats. One was Judith's, and it was filled with blood, and the other was Oliver's. _

_ "Oh God," Harper said, "Oli!" She screamed out, "Oliver!" _

_ "Mom!" Lilah cried and she raised her gun to protect her mother from the oncoming walkers. _

_ There was an explosion and Harper turned to see the tank was down and in the distance she saw Daryl shoot off an arrow into the chest of the man who had been inside of the tank. He turned and ran towards them, "Where is the baby?" _

_ Harper shook her head, "I don't know Daryl, look," she pointed to the empty car seats, "He was unbuckled and removed." _

_ "Shit," Daryl stared at the seat and then jumped as the prison began to explode on it's self, "We've gotta go." He picked up Lilah and ran towards his bike, "Let's go." _

_ Harper ran after him, "But Daryl, what about Oliver?! We can't leave him!" _

_ "We just gotta hope that someone has him," Daryl turned and saw Beth running towards them, "Beth! Have you seen the babies?" _

_ Beth shook her head, "No." _

_ "Get in the truck, take Lilah with you, and follow us," Daryl instructed, "Keys should be in there." _

_ Beth took Lilah from Daryl, loaded the child into the pickup truck, and then the four of them were quickly speeding away from the prison. They drove, for what seemed like hours, until finally Daryl knew that Harper couldn't hold on for much longer. From the way her body was shaking as he drove the bike, she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. He waved a hand signal to Beth and pulled the bike off to the side of the road. The engine died, he kicked the stand down, and Daryl quickly turned to take Harper into his arms, "Come 'ere," he whispered. _

_ "We have to go back," she sobbed, "We have to find Oliver. He's going to be terrified and he needs us. We need to find the others." _

_ The truck door slammed and Beth came walking over to them, holding Lilah's hand as she did so. "I tried to go back inside to get the kids," Beth sighed, "But that entrance was blocked off." _

_ Harper looked up at Beth, "Oh Beth baby," she quickly pulled herself from Daryl's embrace and pulled the younger woman into her arms, "I'm so sorry." _

_ Beth choked back a sob, refusing to lose it on the side of the road, but images of her father's death were haunting her, "We need to get off the road," she told them, "Figure out how we'll find the others." _

_ Harper nodded her head, "Okay." She bent down and hugged Lilah, "Baby you did so good back there." _

_ Lilah was crying too though, "I shouldn't have left Oliver. I should've put him on the bus so he'd be safe." _

_ Harper shook her head, "You did what you thought you had to do." She kissed her oldest again, "Get in the truck and we'll try to find a place to stay." _

_ Daryl's strong hand was taking Harper's again and he was kissing her, doing anything he could to comfort her, "Come on baby." _

_ She climbed onto the bike again and they drove for another hour, until finally, Daryl spotted a long since deserted country church. He and Harper went in and made sure it was clear while Beth waited in the car. When at long last, they had dragged every last dead walker out of the church, Harper retrieved her daughter and the small broken family, settled in for that first long night. _

–

It was still raining when Daryl wanted to get up and head out the next day. He sat in the corner of the tent making arrows while Harper slept. There was no way they could ride the bike in the rain. He knew Harper would agree if he asked her, but Daryl was well aware that Harper was not taking care of herself, and while the threat of illness had seemingly passed, he really did not want to expose her further to getting sick.

"Daryl?"

He turned his head as the zipper in the other side pulled down and Lilah stuck her head through, she was fully dressed now, looking more and more like her mother as each day passed, "I'm hungry," she mumbled.

Daryl grabbed his bag, "Come on over here so Beth can rest," he whispered while beginning to dig in his bag for a can of beans. He sighed, seeing there were only two cans left in his bag, they were going to need to go on a run. Daryl knew he could go hunting, but in this weather there would be no point in killing anything he could cook. "Here," Daryl said as he took the can out and opened it, "I'm sorry, they're gon' be cold."

Lilah sat down beside Daryl, "It's okay." She took the offered fork from Daryl and began to eat out of the can.

Harper groaned in her sleep and began to twist in the blankets. Daryl darted over and shook her gently before she could go into a full blown nightmare mode. She sat up and looked at Daryl and then to Lilah, "Thank you Daryl," she said quietly, "For stopping it before it began."

Daryl pressed a kiss to the top of her head, "Yeah."

Harper rubbed her eyes and sighed, "Did you get enough sleep baby girl?"

Lilah shrugged, "Yeah."

"We should get going," Harper mumbled.

"It's rainin'," Daryl pointed out.

"I know but," She shrugged and got up, reaching for her bag so she could begin to dress, "I was thinking that maybe some of the group who knew where the cabin was, may have gone there."

Daryl frowned, "As in The cabin? Where you're-"

"Where I killed my father?" Harper cut him off and nodded, "Yes. I mean," she sighed, and pulled a tee shirt out of a bag, "Can't hurt to look can it? It's not like we're far."

Daryl looked at Lilah, who was watching her mother and Daryl interact closely. "Little girl, can ya go eat in the other side so your momma and I can talk?"

Lilah nodded, "Not like I can't hear you over there though," she pointed out, walking through the tent again.

"My ten year old, the sass queen," Harper sighed and she began to change out of her clothes.

"Harper, I dunno if you goin' back to th' cabin is such a good idea," Daryl said, "Perfect opportunity for lott'sa bad memories to pop up."

"If it means possibly finding our son though," Harper began to pull her jeans up and over her hips, "Or the others, it would be worth it. I can deal with my emotional trauma bull shit later. Hell, we may even find Carol there." She knew Daryl still had a lot of pent up anger towards Rick about the Carol situation. Harper didn't totally agree with Carol about the whole Karen thing, but a part of her understood. Carol wanted to protect the others from getting sick and Harper justified it to herself by saying Carol was protecting her children. Both Daryl and Harper equally had been upset that Carol was gone and they had vowed to find her while searching for their son.

Daryl scowled, "I hate when ya use her 'gainst me."

Harper sat down beside him and kissed him gently on the lips, "But you know I'm right."

"You're riding in the truck though," Daryl said.

She frowned, "Why?"

"As long as it is raining, you're ridin' in the truck with them, 'cause I don't need you goin' and getting' sick. You ain't takin' care of yourself and ya know it," Daryl told her, a sternness to his voice that Harper was not accustomed to.

She rolled her eyes, "Daryl, I'm fine."

"Harper you're ridin' in the truck and that's final," He told her.

She scowled, "Fine."

Daryl smiled and kissed her again, "Thank you."

It took less than an hour for the four of them to be dressed, packed up, and have the tent taken down. In those thirty-nine days on the road, you learned quickly to be able to take down tents, no matter how big and complex they were. Daryl loaded the items in the back of the truck, which he covered with the tarp that was used to protect his bike from the rain, and then they were headed up the highway, towards Harper and Lilah's old cabin, and towards their past.

Xx

A/N-Thoughts? Should I continue?


	2. Memories Can Weigh You Down

Chapter 2

Memories Can Weigh You Down

"Harper?"

Harper looked up at Beth who was driving, the girl had aged so much in the last month, and it hurt Harper to see the girl rapidly aging before her eyes. "Yeah, Beth?"

"What," Beth faltered, her eyes scanning the road, rapidly taking in the sights, before resting again on Daryl who was two car lanes ahead of her, "What do you think we'll find at the cabin?"

Harper looked down at her daughter who was asleep in her arms. She carefully brushed the light blonde strands of hair out of her daughter's face. A million and one possibilities raced through her mind. Harper had never returned to the cabin after the night she had killed her father. She knew that as she had recovered from her concussion, Daryl had gone with Rick to dispose of her father's body. Through one way or another, everyone from the prison had known about the cabin, so her hopes were that someone was there. The likely outcome of course, was that the woods were filled with walkers, and the cabin would still be boarded up; just the way Daryl had left it.

"Harper?" Beth pressed, still searching for an answer.

"I don't know Beth," Harper sighed, "I really don't know."

"Okay," Beth looked at Harper for a moment, and then looked back to Daryl ahead of her.

Harper's eyes looked out the window as she began to see sights that were familiar to her. The signs were popping up for the prison and her heart ached for the place she had come to call home. They drove for another ten miles before Daryl pulled his bike off to the side of the road, parking it right next to the old dirt path that they had always used to get to the cabin. Beth pulled off beside him, cut the engine, and pocketed the keys.

"We're there, momma?" Lilah asked.

Harper looked down at her daughter and nodded her head, "Yeah baby, we're here."

She reached for the door handle, but Daryl had reached the door first, and had popped it open for them. Harper grabbed her knife off the dashboard of the truck, attached it to her hip, and climbed out. Lilah was about to follow when Daryl stuck an arm out, preventing her from getting out of the truck.

"You're gon' sit this one out," Daryl told the child.

Lilah frowned, "But why?"

"'Cause I said so," Daryl told her, fixing her with a pointed look.

"Mom!" Lilah whined.

Harped pinched the bridge of her nose, "Lilah, you are old enough to know by now that I don't like the whining. If Daryl tells you to do something, you better do it. He's practically your father so please respect him as if he is."

Lilah frowned and looked back to Daryl, "Fine."

"You hold on to yer gun and climb into the floor board of the truck if ya have ta. Keep the windows shut and the doors locked. Shouldn't be more than a few minutes, so just keep quiet, okay?" Daryl instructed.

She nodded her head, "Okay."

Daryl kissed the child on the forehead and then moved out of the way. "Stay here," Harper told Lilah, "Love you." She kissed her daughter on the forehead in return and then closed the truck door. Lilah stayed in the seat, watching through the glass window as Daryl, her mother, and Beth went up the path.

"It's like, nothing has changed," Harper said quietly as they walked, casually stepping closer to Daryl as she did so.

"Nothing has changed. Not for these woods that is," Daryl glanced to his left and saw a walker in the distance, but the three of them kept walking, opting to save their ammunition.

Harper felt every sort of emotion overwhelm her as the wooden cabin came into view. She had lived there for so long with Lilah, their home for a time. Harper and Daryl had consummated their relationship there, Oliver had been conceived here, and it was where she had finally rid herself of the nightmare that was Earl Jefferson. She remembered that night, when Daryl had been tied up to a tree, and how she was convinced she would die in this cabin. Briefly her mind began to wonder if her blood or her fathers blood would still be present inside; stained floorboards to serve as a haunting reminder of the things lost there.

"Ya okay?" Daryl asked, his own eyes scanning the place, briefly passing over to the spot where they had burned Earl's body. The ash and cinders had been covered with leaves, the evidence was only noticeable to someone who knew where it had been done.

Harper nodded, "I'm fine," she said quietly.

"You lived here?" Beth asked, looking at Harper.

Harper nodded at the girl, "It was home for awhile, until Daryl found us."

Daryl stepped up onto the front porch steps, "Someone has been here," he announced, his eyes falling on the plywood that he and Rick had used fifteen months before, off to the side. Someone had stacked the boards into neat piles, but it seemed pointless because the wood was rotting and clearly termites had taken residence in the boards.

Harper stepped up behind him, "Should we knock?"

Daryl glanced at her, "Knock?"

She shrugged, "I dunno."

Daryl rolled his eyes but knocked anyway. There was a long period of silence and Daryl knocked again. When there was no response, Daryl's hand gripped the doorknob, he turned, and the door opened up. In the corner of the room was the bed that he and Harper had shared many times. The desk was still in the opposite corner, with cans of food stacked up. "Smell that?" Daryl asked, taking a step in, and his eyes fell on the small fireplace, "Someone was here recently. You can still smell the fire they had built."

Harper stepped inside with Beth directly behind her. Her eyes fell on the spot where her father had fallen, and just as she had suspected, there were stains from her father's blood. "You think maybe it was someone we know?" She asked, her voice quiet.

Daryl shrugged, "I dunno." He walked over to the desk and began to check the drawers, "Papers and maps here. Whoever is living here now must be out scavenging supplies or something."

Harper's eyes fell on the nightstand where she had hit her head, suddenly feeling a phantom pain from the wound Hershel had stitched up the year before. Her heart flipped at the thought of Hershel and she quickly forced her mind to look at the bed. There was an old blanket on the bed, with one lone pillow. "Must be theirs," she said.

Beth bit her lip, her eyes looking around, "Do you think this could be our people?"

"I don't know," Harper admitted.

"We'll just have to wait outside and see if they return," Daryl said.

"Outside?" Harper asked, raising an eyebrow.

"This ain't your place anymore," Daryl told her, "It ain't our place. We can't just walk in here and hang out in what could be someones home. We gotta wait outside."

Harper sighed and walked past Beth until she made it to the porch. Beth was close behind her again, and then they heard Daryl shut the door behind him, "Hopefully it won't be long," he said.

Harper looked at him, "Maybe we should go hunting while we're here."

Daryl raised an eyebrow, "You want to hunt while ya feel what you're feelin'?"

"I'm fine, Daryl," Harper mumbled.

"Maybe we should-"

"Guys," Beth said quietly, "Someone's coming."

Harper frowned and looked from Beth, she heard a crack of twigs, and her eyes began to search the woods. Down from the creek, there was movement, and a person appeared, but their face was still covered by the trees.

"Who's there?" Daryl shouted, holding his crossbow up.

The movement stopped and the sound of a gun clicked, "You can leave my house now and I won't hurt you," the woman's voice replied.

"We're just lookin' for our people!" Daryl called back, "Wanted t'know if you've seen 'em."

"I don't know who you are, now leave!" The woman shouted back.

"Wait," Beth frowned, bending to try and get a better look, "I know that voice."

Harper looked at the girl, her hand resting on her gun, ready to draw if need be. "Who?" she whispered.

"We just wanna find our people and my son," Daryl replied, "If ya know anythin' then great, if not then that's fine too," he said, "Please just let us ask ya."

"I haven't seen anybody in months, now leave!" The woman hollered, her voice getting louder and angrier.

"Carol?!" Beth cried out.

"H-how do you know my name?" The woman stepped out from beyond the tree and then she lowered her gun, seeing the small group on the porch, "Bethy?" Her voice was hoarse.

"Oh my God!" Harper pushed past Daryl and ran over to the woman, "Carol!" She threw her arms around the older woman, tears filling her eyes, "You're alive!"

Daryl lowered the crossbow and stared at the woman, his old friend, "Carol?"

"Hello Daryl," Carol said quietly, "I always knew you would find me."

**xx**

**A/N- I apologize for the shortness of this chapter. I wanted to put something up before I went to work and alas, I have to get ready for work. Reviews? **


	3. Believe In Me

Chapter 3

Believe in Me

"Thank you," Harper said as she took the offered cup of water.

Carol nodded, "You're welcome." She passed around cups to Daryl, Beth, and Lilah (who Daryl had gone to get,) and then Carol sat down in a chair, "So what happened exactly?"

Daryl had an arm wrapped protectively around Harper's waist, "Ya say ya heard the explosion from 'ere?"

"Yeah I had to hide out in here for days because the sounds attracted walkers, who got distracted en route, by my warm and inviting cabin," Carol shook her head, "It was a little rough for awhile there. Anyway," she took a sip of her own glass of water and continued, "When the walkers finally went away and I was able to get rid of the stragglers on my own, I got in my car and headed for the prison. All I saw was destruction and ruin, everything we had worked for was gone and overrun. Bodies were everywhere."

Beth reached for Harper's hand and held it tightly, her nostrils flaring as she tried to bury her surfacing emotions, "The Governor murdered my daddy."

Carol looked at Beth, "I know," she said quietly, "I saw what remained of him. It looked as if someone had tried to pull him away from the other bodies, but gave up trying to do anything with him. It's bad up there."

Harper's eyes had traveled to the blood stain on the cabin floor again, "Could've been Michonne. She was closest to him when he died."

Carol's hands shook as she brought her cup to her lips again. Her throat was suddenly dry and the parched sensation was painfully unbearable. "I'm sorry Beth," she managed to say, "Your daddy deserved so much better in this life."

Beth nodded her head, quickly brushing away the few stray tears, "Yeah he did."

"So uh," Daryl glanced at Harper and squeezed her hand gently before looking back to Carol, "In the midst of everything, Lilah got separated from the other kids. Harper was out an' helpin' me try an' defend the prison. Far as I knew we were the last defense that were holdin'. When I blew the tank, that was it though. Got the girls and we had to go. Both the car seats of lil' ass kicker and Oli were empty."

"But they had been buckled in," Harper said quietly, "Lilah said they had secured the babies into the seats before they took them out of the prison, and when we found the seats, they were unbuckled. So," she looked up at Carol, "Despite all the blood in Judith's seat, someone had to of taken her out of it. Not like a walker got 'em."

"And," Carol looked between them, "You don't know what happened to anyone else?"

"We've been looking everywhere we can think of," Harper sighed, "You're the first person we've caught up with."

"Where have you been staying?" Carol asked.

Daryl shrugged, "Just where we can find safety. Abandoned buildings and homes if we can find 'im. Usually the four of us piled into a tent that I found in a car on the highway."

A silence fell over the cabin as Carol absorbed all of the words and the story settled into her mind. "There are a lot of back roads leading off of the highway," she finally spoke. Carol looked up at the others, "We just have to start searching them and especially the dirt roads."

Daryl nodded, "If there are dirt roads down here, it'll be the easiest way to track. More than likely though, they stayed on the highway."

"Can't hurt to try though," Harper said.

Daryl looked at her, reading the pained expression on her face, the sadness that was always there these days, "I know."

Carol looked at her two friends and then cleared her throat, "Let's eat some lunch and we should head out. We can hit a back road after we have something on our stomachs."

"You good on supplies?" Daryl asked, removing his arm from Harper's waist and standing up, "Because there used to be prime game in these woods. This was where Harper and I always found deer. I can see what I can do 'bout trackin' 'em."

Carol nodded, "I've had good luck through here too." She got to her feet and walked over to the closet space, "And I came across this tiny general store that hadn't been raided." She grabbed some cans of soup and Vienna sausages, "Sound good?"

Harper got to her feet, "Here let me help. I feel so useless." She took the cans from the older woman and carried them over to the fireplace. Harper had never been good at starting fires, but living life on the road with Daryl, she had finally learned quickly. Daryl watched her, wanting to be sure she was able to get a fire started, but knowing full well that he would unleash all Hell if he offered to help her. She allowed herself a small smile of triumph as flames engulfed the logs in the fireplace. Harper grabbed the pot that was hanging over the fire and poured the cans of soup into the pot. "Should be ready soon."

"You wanna come with me?" Daryl asked her, "I'm gon' go have a look around while the soup cooks."

Harper got to her feet, quickly brushing the dirt off her knees and nodded, "Lilah, stay here with Carol and Beth, okay?"

"Yes momma," Lilah said.

Harper kissed her daughter on the forehead and followed Daryl out of the cabin.

"You feelin' okay?" Daryl asked her as they walked, the fallen leaves crunching under their feet.

Harper looked at him, "I feel as if I hear this question from you a thousand times a day."

He looked at her, "Ya probably do and I ain't gon' be sorry for that. You're everything to me and you're slippin' everyday."

"I should've been with them. I'm his momma and it was my job to protect him. Instead I was outside fighting a losing battle."

Daryl looked at her, "If you had been in the prison, you may not have gotten out though. Where would that have left Lilah and I?"

Harper rubbed her eyes, as if trying to rub out the exhaustion, "I feel as if I've failed him."

"Harper," Daryl snapped, "How the Hell do you think I feel? I'm his daddy and he's the first thing in this world, that's ever been truly mine. I've lived my life feelin' like I'm gon' fuck things up, and that's what happened. I fucked up by not bein' able to protect our son."

"I don't-" Harper sighed and reached for his hand, "I don't wanna fight. We've gotta stay strong for Lilah." She looked down at his fingers, closely staring at the dirt that never seemed to go away, "We found Carol, that's a start."

Daryl wrapped his arm around her, holding her close, "We're gon' find him. But you gotta believe in me."

Harper pressed her forehead against his, "I'm just so tired."

"I know baby," Daryl closed his eyes briefly, "I know."

"Guys?"

Harped turned to see Carol on the porch, "Yeah?"

"The soup is ready," she told them.

"We'll be right there," Harper replied.

"Alright," Carol ducked her head back into the cabin.

Daryl pressed his lips to Harper's forehead, "Come on." The couple walked back to the cabin and settled in to eat.

–

"A car's been down here at some point," Daryl said, "Hard to tell when."

Harper leaned against the door of the truck, watching Daryl work, "Should we walk to follow them?"

Daryl looked at her and then glanced at Carol, "Any idea how far this road goes?"

"Couple of miles before it turns into pavement again," Carol said, "There's a couple of dirt driveways off to the side though. Might be worth a look."

"Alright," Daryl nodded, "Let's go ahead on foot, stick to the side so we don't mess up the tracks."

Harper nodded, grabbed her rifle from the front seat, and headed over to Daryl. It had taken some convincing, but they had left Beth back at the cabin with Lilah. There had been a brief argument, which Daryl quickly put an end to, and finally the three of them were on the road tracking, what appeared to be large tires.

"Were Lizzie and the others okay?" Carol asked, as they walked.

"Lilah said they were. It had been Lizzie's idea to stand and fight," Harper said. She shivered and pulled her coat tighter against her body, "But Lilah went looking for us and so she didn't see them. At best, Tyreese or Sasha found them."

Carol frowned at the mention of Tyreese, "I don't know what I'm gonna do when he finds out about what I did."

"Hey," Daryl said, looking at her, "He ain't gon' do anything because I ain't gon' let 'im."

She nodded her head, "Alright."

"Rick and I were lookin' for 'im when the attack started. We had just found him and were about to tell them." Daryl held his crossbow close to him, watching for any walkers, "He was goin' on about the psychopath still being in the prison, 'cause we found rat remains."

"Rat remains?" Carol looked at him, "What do you mean?"

"Dunno, we never found out," Daryl shook his head and turned up a driveway. His eyes read the old black mailbox, "_Smith," _was painted in white letters on the side. The paint was chipping and falling off. "Looks as good a place as any to check." The trio walked up a gravel filled driveway, heading all the way deep into the woods, until they found an old trailer. The metal on the sides rusted and falling apart, like everything else in this world. "Driveway becomes dirt," Daryl said, "Tracks are here too." Daryl climbed the cement steps and knocked on the old screen door, "Anyone in here?" He called.

Harper walked around to the back where a car port was stationed. There were tool boxes and old rags covered in oil, but no sign of a vehicle. She walked back to the trailer door step and looked up at Daryl, "No car or anything."

Daryl nodded and tried the door. It opened with ease and Daryl let himself onto the porch, followed closely by Carol and Harper. He pressed his nose up against the grimy window and looked in, "Looks like someone was here recently though."

"Why?" Harper pressed her face against the glass beside Daryl.

"Blood on that counter, looks fresh," he said.

Daryl moved away and tried the door. No one had bothered locking it so he let himself in, looking quickly around. There were bandages and medical tape on the counter, "Looks like someone was tryin' to fix themselves up." He frowned as he eyed the counter drawers that had been ripped open and a jar of pens had been knocked over, with a sharpie still left uncapped. He marked the counter and there was still a fading remnants of ink.

Harper looked at the sofa, "Blankets and a relatively fresh pillowcase." She set the pillow back down and walked down the long hallway, peeking into the tiny bedrooms. The trailer wasn't exactly big so a quick search confirmed that the place was empty, but she stopped at the sight of something in the bathroom, "Hey Daryl?"

Daryl set down the bandage and ran down the hallway to Harper, "Yeah?"

Harper held up a piece of ripped fabric, "This matches the shirt Michonne was wearing. I think she was here."

Daryl took the long strip. It had been saturated in blood but a close enough examine betrayed some of the previous color and it did match her shirt, "She probably made a tourniquet," Daryl agreed, "Held up in here as long as she could. Probably took off lookin' for the others."

Harper sighed, "So we're headed in the right direction. I guess."

Daryl nodded, "Those tracks continued a bit so maybe she managed to find a ride and took off the way. Worth a look."

"Yeah, let's go," Carol agreed.

Harper lead the way back out of the trailer and down the driveway. They walked awhile longer, coming across no signs of anyone as they did so. The tracks died when the dirt road turned into black pavement. There was a green sign on the side of the road, "Maybe she headed for Peachtree City? Didn't she go by there once when she was looking for the Governor?"

Daryl shrugged, "She did. Said she was surprised that it wasn't as badly overrun, for a city anyway."

"Should we try there?" Carol asked.

"We can try in the morning," Daryl answered.

Harper looked around the side of the road some more, and then something caught her eyes, flapping on the ground, whatever it was, it was struggling to move in the wind. She walked over towards it, her black boots pounding on the pavement. Harper bent down and grabbed a piece of cardboard that was under a rock on the ground, "Daryl? Look."

He walked over to her and took the sign from Harper, "_Rick, Daryl, or whoever is left. Headed to Peachtree. Found a few secure places there before, so I'm going to try and hold up there. I will try to find you otherwise.-M." _Daryl handed the cardboard to Carol, "Well you're gettin' good at studyin' the clues," he told Harper, "Peachtree it is."

Harper stood up and nodded, "Peachtree it is."

xx

A/N- Reviews? Please? :)


	4. Leave it Behind

Chapter 4

Leave it Behind

_"Harper this ain't up for debate. More people are getting sick an' dyin' everyday. You ain't been exposed to it yet and I intend to keep it that way," Daryl told her. _

_ "Daryl you can't just go off on a medical supply run and leave me behind!" Harper protested. She was in the part of the prison where visitors would come and now here she was, separated from Daryl by a glass window. "I can help find what you need!" _

_ "Harper, if ya wanna help me, stay here with the kids. I'll be home soon and everythin's gon' be okay," Daryl sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "Can you get the kids so I can tell 'em I love 'em?" _

_ Her eyes welled up with tears, "Daryl please-" _

_ "Harper," Daryl began. _

_ She bit her lip and nodded, "Just give me a second." _

_ Daryl watched Harper turn around and leave the room. _

_ "Daryl!" Lilah squealed as she ran up to the glass, only seconds later. _

_ "Hey Princess," Daryl greeted, "You behavin' for your momma?" _

_ Lilah nodded her head, "Yes." _

_ Harper walked into the room, holding Oliver against her hip, who instantly began to squirm when he saw his father, "Da!" The child cried. _

_ Daryl put his hand up to the glass, a pain in his heart as he looked at his son. Everything felt so foreign to him and his child seemed far away. He was reminded of the few times he visited Merle when he did his stints in jail. He would have given anything then to bust his brother out so that they could hit the roads, causing trouble, and chasing tail. Now, Daryl would have given anything to have fallen asleep in a bed, with this beautiful woman beside him, and his son in his arms. "Hi Oli," Daryl greeted. _

_ "Da!" Oliver cried again, pressing his tiny hands against the glass. _

_ Daryl tapped the glass against Oliver's hand, "I gotta go away for a day or two," he tried to explain to the child, "Daddy loves ya." _

_ Oliver began to cry, "Da!" _

_ Harper reached up and quickly brushed tears away from her face, "Shh baby boy." She shifted her son, so that he was held against her chest, but Oliver only squirmed and cried harder. _

_ "Go ahead and take him for a nap," Daryl told Harper. _

_ "Daryl," Harper pressed her hand against the glass, "Please don't go." _

_ "Baby, I gotta," Daryl sighed, "I'll be home safe and sound. Ya know I will." _

_ "I love you," Harper told him. _

_ "I love you too," Daryl said. _

_ Harper squeezed her daughter on the shoulder, "Lilah tell Daryl you love him and goodbye." _

_ Lilah looked up at her mother and then turned her gaze back to Daryl, "I love you Daryl." _

_ "I love you too," Daryl sighed, "Take care of your momma, and I'll be home soon." _

_ She nodded her head, "Yes Daryl." _

_ Daryl looked back up at Harper, he chewed his thumb nervously, and then turned to leave. _

_Xx_

Harper walked out of the cabin and sat down on the steps, watching Daryl set up the tent. "Lilah is eating and wrapped up by the fire. Carol is still insistent we all pile into the cabin though." She pulled her coat closer to her body as the wind rustled the trees and a breeze brought a cold feeling down on her.

"There ain't room," Daryl shrugged, "With the extra blankets you and I will be fine in the tent."

"Sheesh," Harper frowned as she thought about it, "This will be our first night alonesince before the sickness broke out."

Daryl looked up from where he was hammering a stake into the ground, "Damn, you're right."

Harper got to her feet and walked over to the pile of supplies sitting on the ground. She unzipped the door and let herself in while Daryl finished the work. She laid out pillows and blankets, until the side of the tent she and Daryl slept in, was suited for sleep. She popped her head out of the tent and watched Daryl as he hammered the last stake in, "House is ready."

He turned his head up to look at her, "Oh great. You got my dinner on the stove and my clothes dryin' by the fireplace?"

Harper rolled her eyes, "Oh shut up." She stepped out of the tent, "Your butt looks cute from here though."

It was Daryl's turn to roll his eyes, "Oh yeah, 'm sure." He set the hammer down and got to his feet, "Did you eat supper?"

Harper shrugged, "I was waiting for you."

"Well let's eat and then get to bed. We got a long day tomorrow," Daryl placed a kiss to her cheek.

They walked back into the cabin and sat down on the floor beside Lilah, who was already falling asleep. Harper brushed her daughter's hair out of her face and sighed as she looked down at the child. When Lilah was a baby, everyone had told her to value what time she had with her daughter. She was supposed to be enjoying these days with her little girl, but instead, her daughter was aging rapidly, Harper was convinced she was missing the important steps as her daughter grew closer to adulthood. She blanched as she thought about what she was missing with Oliver. Her son would be walking soon, and Harper was missing it.

"Harper, Carol asked you a question."

She turned her head to look at Daryl, her brow furrowed in confusion, "Sorry I uh-" Harper looked up at Carol, "I zoned out there."

Carol nodded her head, as if she understood completely, "I asked if you want some crackers with the soup."

Harper looked up at the package in her friends hand, "We should hold onto them until there's nothing else."

Carol shrugged, "It's fine, you can have some."

"No, hold onto them," Harper glanced at Daryl and then back to Carol, "I'm fine, really."

"Alright," Carol walked back over to where Beth was sitting and sat down beside her.

"What do you think we'll find in Peachtree?" Beth asked quietly.

Harper looked at the girl and then to Daryl. He shrugged, "Ideally? Michonne will be there but who really knows?" He spooned up the remains of his meal, swallowed it, and then set the bowl down, "Likely though, that the city is just gone."

"What if we're walking into a death trap?" Carol asked.

Daryl looked at her, "Well Michonne said last time, the city wasn't that bad. But if she headed there, we gotta try an' see what we can dig up. Who knows," he looked at Harper, hoping to re-assure her, "The others may have seen the sign and the kids might be there."

"I guess we won't know 'till we try, right?" Beth asked.

Daryl nodded his head, "Right."

Harper finished her food and yawned, "Well we should all head in."

Carol got to her feet, instantly gathering the dirty dishes, "I wish you two would just stay in here."

"Carol, I'm telling you. We'll be fine," Harper fussed, "We have plenty of blankets."

"Besides," Daryl said, getting to his feet as well and pulling his poncho over his body, "That tent is the only thing keepin' the outside world from gettin' in here. We can better protect the cabin from the tent than cooped up in here."

Carol nodded, "Alright fine. Go ahead and get some sleep then."

Harper hugged her friend, "Call for me if she wakes up or needs anything, okay?"

"Of course," Carol smiled.

Harper walked over to Beth and kissed the young girl on the top of her head, "Love you Beth."

"I love you too, Harper," Beth said quietly.

Daryl was standing at the open cabin door, waiting for Harper, who quickly joined him outside. "God," Harper complained, "The temperature has dropped badly."

"Come on," Daryl glanced around and then crossed the small space from the porch steps to the tent. He opened the door and ushered Harper in.

She sat down on the pile of blankets and pulled her boots off her feet, which she placed in the corner of the tent. Harper climbed under the blankets and watched as Daryl zippered the tent shut. He sat down on the makeshift bed beside her, removed his own boots, set the crossbow down beside the bed, and got under the blankets beside her. He opened his arm and Harper instantly curled into his body, where Daryl held her tightly.

"I was thinking earlier," Harper whispered.

"Oh that ain't ever a good thing," Daryl said, his voice was light and carried a laugh. He glanced down at her and smiled at the annoyed expression, "I'm sorry, what?"

"I was thinking about when you left for the Vet college," Harper sighed and wrapped the arm she had around his abdomen, even tighter, "I was so scared and freaked out. It wasn't even that I was afraid of you getting killed but more that you were gonna contract the illness on the road and then never make it home because of how sick you were."

Daryl sighed and squeezed her arm gently, "I'ma always come back to you. I always do."

She nodded, "I know but I'll worry regardless."

"A day don't go by where I don't thank my lucky stars for you and the kids," Daryl whispered. "I know I've told ya before, but if I was ever gonna get a family of my own, I'm thankful it was with you."

Harper leaned her body closer to his, "He's going to be walking soon."

Daryl stared up at the ceiling, his mind thinking about his son, "Yeah?"

"God I hope we get to see his first steps," she whispered.

"We will," he assured her, "I promise."

"I'm sorry Daryl." Harper stared at their fingers that were loosely linked, her ear listening to the gentle thumping of his heart.

"What are ya sorry for?" He asked.

"For rehashing this every single night. I just think about him at every single moment of every single day and when we're running and fighting, I can ignore the pain in my heart. But when it's just us, alone and together like this, I can't help but think about it and it's so hard."

"Don't be sorry. You're his momma, how else would I expect ya to act?" Daryl reached for her chin and brought it up so that he could see her face.

"You deserve a stronger woman," she mumbled.

"Harper, you're the strongest woman I've ever known. Certainly the strongest I've ever been with." Daryl shook his head, "Stop second guessing yourself and get some rest."

She nodded, "Okay."

–

The next day they were up early, the tent was broken down and the blankets packed up, before Carol was even ready to leave. The sun was high in the sky that day and it was casting a warmth over the Georgian highways, so Harper rode on the motorcycle with Daryl. They left the truck at the cabin, while Beth and Lilah rode with Carol in her car. There was little trouble on the road, thus they arrived outside of the city before noon. Daryl waved an arm and he pulled his bike off to the side of the road, killing the engine, and kicking the stand down. Carol pulled in behind him and they were out of the car at once.

"So what do you wanna do from here?" Carol asked.

"We need to walk in," Daryl said, "Cars gon' cause too much attention. So we go in together, we stay together. Move quietly and see if Michonne left us anymore messages."

Harper got off the bike and walked over to the car to retrieve her rifle and machete. She shouldered the weapons and placed a pistol on her holster. The others quickly grabbed their weapons while Daryl pulled his bike off into the woods to keep it from view. They locked up Carol's car, and then the small group hit the pavement as they walked into the city.

"Welcome to the not so beautiful Peachtree City," Lilah read aloud, "Someone added in the not so bit."

Daryl glanced at it, "Looks old."

"How can you tell?" Lilah asked as she ran to catch up to the older man's longer strides.

Daryl glanced down at her, "The paint is faded and looks like the weather has done a number on it."

"Oh." Lilah frowned but said nothing more as her eyes took in the view of the city.

There were buildings that had been burned, but for the most part it seemed as if the city was in tact.

"Someone must be here," Harper said, when her eyes fell on a pile of walkers that had been recently burned.

Lilah gagged at the smell and Daryl instantly handed the little girl a cloth. "Cover your face, don't breathe it in," he told her.

"Look," Harper began to say, "If we happen to come into a group of people who have claimed this place as their own. We're a family, we may need a back story to protect one another."

Carol looked as a walker began to approach them, she rammed her knife into the skull, pulled her knife back and kept walking, "What did you have in mind?"

Harper bit her lip and looked at Daryl, "Ideas?"

"You're my wife, Lilah's our daughter," Daryl began to say, still keeping his eyes roaming around the dead streets, checking for signs of life, "Carol is your aunt and Beth is your cousin."

"Alright," Carol agreed.

"Daryl," Harper reached out for his arm, "There's a sign over there."

Daryl followed her gaze and rushed over to the makeshift sign that was hanging up, "Shelter straight ahead. Safe. Food and Water for All."

"Think that's her?" Harper asked.

"Dunno, Michonne ain't the type to leave a sign up like that. She would've left something else to let us know it's her," Daryl studied the sign.

"She may have gone there though, see if any of our people were there," Carol said.

Harper reached for her daughter's hand and held her close, "Daryl, what do you wanna do?"

Daryl looked at her, "We should go I guess."

"Alright," Harper began to walk, followed closely by Daryl, Beth, and Carol.

They had little trouble the rest of the way, which seemed strange to the group. For a city, it was as Michonne had described it just a few months before, essentially empty and safe to travel. There was an odd walker or two, but not the herds that they had grown accustomed to on the roads or like in Atlanta. The signs for the shelter grew more and more frequent as they got closer, until finally, out of nowhere, large blockade appeared, making main street difficult to access to the typical walker. There was letter spray painted on the side of a large white van that read, "Shelter for all who need it!"

"You'd think if it was a shelter, there would be people waiting to let us in," Beth whispered.

"Maybe we're supposed to just climb over the cars ourselves?" Carol asked.

Harper walked over to one of the cars and peeked around the van, "There is no one down here."

"Let me go first," Daryl said.

He walked over and climbed over the car. Daryl stood up straight and then turned back to the women, "Pass Lilah through next."

Harper picked her daughter up and handed her over the hood of the car to Daryl, who wrapped his arms around the child tightly before setting her down. Harper helped Beth and Carol over next and then she climbed over. She slipped and slid off the hood of the car, toppling onto the hard pavement.

"Fuck," Harper winced at the pain in her leg.

"Jesus, you okay?" Daryl asked, reaching down to help her.

She nodded, "I'm fine."

Daryl pushed the leg of her jean up and frowned at her skinned calve, "Sorry, I shoulda helped ya."

"You're a lousy knight in shining armor," Harper joked, "It's okay."

"Yeah well-"

"Halt! Who goes there?" A voice boomed from a nearby building.

Harper was on her feet instantly and grabbed Lilah close to her, instantly shielding her daughter with her body.

"Hello?" Daryl called out, frowning.

"You lookin' for shelter?" The voice asked next.

"Not really," Daryl answered, "We're lookin' for our family."

A door on an old looking building opened, and a small group of armed men piled out and into the street. Slowly approaching them.

Daryl stuck his arm out, as if to shield the women he was with, "We saw the signs on the road and hoped maybe some of our people had come through here. We don't want no trouble or anything."

"Is it just you?" One of the men asked, finally at a distance close enough to Daryl where he didn't need to yell. The men were dressed in similar clothing, dark shades of green, as if they were in a military unit. The one who had addressed Daryl carried himself as if he was a leader, but Harper couldn't help but feel like he answered to a hire power.

"My wife, daughter, and my wife's family," Daryl nodded his head, "Yeah."

The man in front of Daryl looked Harper, Beth, and Carol up and down, as if he was sizing them up. Then he turned his gaze back to Daryl, "You said you're looking for your people?"

Daryl nodded, "Yeah that's right. We got separated because of a heard. Hopin' to try and catch back up."

"Well," the man moved his gun down so that it was out of the way, "We've had a few people pass through with the same story. Some stayed and some kept going, so we may have your people here. Edward keeps track of people who come in and out of here, so you can ask him to check his records." He offered his hand to Daryl, "The name is Harry."

Daryl shook the man's hand loosely, "I'm Marcus, my wife here is Rose, and our daughter Mary," he began to spew the lie, ignoring the confused expression on Harper's face, "Rose's cousin Anne, and her mother Jean."

"Nice to meet you," the women all said.

Harry looked at the group and nodded slowly, "Right well, Edward's office is this way. We'll get you checked in, he can check the records, and then we can get you some water and food."

"Right," Daryl still held his crossbow at the ready as the group followed the man up the street. They turned down a side street and then up onto another main street, following Harry until he lead them to a brick building that had the word 'Lawyer's' painted in gold on the window.

"Hey Ed," Harry called, "Got a new group they wanna check your records."

"Yeah? Cool, I'm coming!" The man, who Harper assumed could only be Edward, replied. There were footsteps moving above their heads and then they heard them on the wooden steps. The man entered the room with a large ledge in his arms, "Sorry about the mess," he said, not looking up, "I was never good at keeping my work place clean."

Harper's hand instantly reached for Daryl's and she clenched it tightly, recognizing the voice. Daryl turned his head to look at Harper and frowned as all of the color drained from her face. Harper was breathing through her nose hard and she shoved Lilah behind her and Daryl, completely obscuring her child from view.

Edward set the ledger down on the desk, put a pair of wire rimmed glasses on his face, and lit a lantern, "Alright now-" He stopped when he saw Harper, "Harper Jefferson? Well I'll be God damned."

Harper's vision clouded and then she was falling to the ground and everything went black.

**Xx**

**A/N- Ut ohhhhhhhhh. Who could it be? Reviews?! **


	5. Muddled Lies and Blood Ties

Chapter 5

Muddled Lies and Blood Ties

"Heartbeat's steady, must have been exhaustion or something she ate?"

Daryl looked up at the man who had called himself a doctor of sorts. He shook his head, "Look, can I just be left alone with my wife?" He snarled, "She's fine."

The doctor nodded, "I'll be just out here if you need me."

Daryl watched the man leave and then cast a glance up at Carol and Beth who were watching, him closely.

"What the hell happened?" Carol whispered, "She was fine one minute and the next?"

Lilah stepped closer to Daryl, "Is momma gonna be okay?"

Daryl nodded, "'Course she is."

Harper's head turned and she groaned as the light penetrated her eyes. "Daryl?" She asked quietly.

"Harper," Daryl took her hand, "We're right here."

In a flash Harper sat up, "Where's Lilah?"

"Woah," Daryl reached out an arm to stop her from moving further, "Lilah is here. We're all right here."

Harper looked down at her daughter and heaved a sigh of relief, "We need to find out if Michonne's been here and then we need to go."

"Harper," Carol began, "What happened, honey?"

Harper looked at her and then bit her lip as she looked back to Daryl, "Daryl," she whispered, "We have to go."

"Harper you need to tell me what was going. Who was that guy?" Daryl asked.

"Yeah Harper." A hand pulled back the curtain and Edward walked into the room, "Why don't you tell your husband," his eyes lingered on her ring finger as he said the word husband, "who I am?"

Harper shook her head quickly, "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"Me?" Edward shrugged and smiled, "I live here and work here. I think the question is, what are you doing here?"

"We're lookin' for our people," Daryl turned his body to face the man in the doorway, "Only reason why we came."

"Right Mr.-uh?" Edward paused, waiting for Daryl to respond.

"Dixon," Daryl told him.

"Right Mr. Dixon, is there any chance Harper and I may be allowed to speak alone?" Edward asked next.

Harper shook her head, "No." She looked down, "We're going to go, that's all there is."

"So Harper isn't going to tell you who I am," Edward scratched his chin and glanced over to the other women in the corner. He glanced back to Harper and Daryl, his eyes finally resting on the small child who was hiding behind Daryl. He smirked, "Harper and I went to college together. You could say uh, we dated for awhile."

Daryl's frown deepened and then he looked at Harper. He saw the white sheen to her face, and suddenly Daryl understood. He knew that Harper had only been with one other person before him. The man who had used her in college and then tossed her aside, but only after he had left her pregnant, with her name dragged through the mud during her final year at school. "I suggest you leave us alone," Daryl said quietly, "Now."

Edward shrugged, "Harper, I'm glad you're alive and you're happy."

Harper shook her head, "Okay."

"So are you going to introduce me to everyone?" Edward crossed his arms, "I mean I'm just curious. I don't remember you ever mentioning having an aunt."

"Yeah well," Harper stared down at her fingers, "You never asked about who I was anyways. You didn't care about all that."

"No I suppose you're right," he shrugged again, "And your daughter? She's gotta be what about, nine now? Perfect age for when you graduated college."

Harper looked up at him, knowing full well what he was implying, "She's mine and Daryl's . I knew Daryl from back home and he came to Atlanta to see me at the beginning of the semester. We got together and then didn't see each other for a few months," the lie spilled from Harper's mouth faster than she could think fully, "Kept our distance and found each other again after the world went to Hell. Now we're together."

Edward's mouth turned up into a smile, "Okay."

Daryl wrapped a protective arm around Harper, "Can we see your records now?"

"Oh yeah, absolutely," Edward nodded. He turned his head, "Hey doc is Harper cleared?"

Harper jumped off the bed and reached for her daughter's hand, "We just want to see if our people are here. I don't need someone's permission to leave."

"Yes, Mrs. Dixon," the doctor entered the room again, "You should be fine."

Harper zippered her coat up and squeezed her daughter's hand tightly, "Alright, thank you for everything."

"Just take it easy," the doctor cautioned. He looked to Daryl, "You'll keep a better eye on your wife?"

Daryl bit his tongue and only nodded his head, "Yeah, fine." He waited for Carol and Beth to step out, and then Daryl followed Harper and Lilah closely.

Outside of the room, Edward was waiting for them, "Just this way to my office."

Harper glanced at Daryl, a sad and pleading look in her eyes. Daryl slipped his arm around Harper's waist again, holding her closely as they walked. They had come to find their people and no matter what, they needed to find them. He reached for Lilah and held her hand tightly. It was a short walk back to the room where Harper had fainted.

"This is the ledger where I keep all of the information on the people who have been through here in the last two months," Edward's glasses were back on his face and his hands wrapping around one of the thick leather bound books.

Carol reached for the book and began to flip through it, "Is it in any kind of an order?"

"Some of them," Edward shrugged, "I've done my best to get names from people and keep them alphabetical. Though there has been some apprehension from people to provide real names." He winked at Harper and continued, "So I try to put descriptions as best as possible in there as well."

"Harper honey!" Carol looked at the younger woman, "Read this."

Harper looked at the notebook, her eyes scanned the page, "Black female, sword, and two babies." Her eyes filled with tears, "Daryl, baby," she looked up at him, "This sounds just like Michonne and the woman had two babies." She handed the book back to Carol and turned to Daryl, grabbing him by the front of his shirt, "Babies, both of them."

Daryl held her tightly and read the messy scrawl, "This is recent?" He asked, looking at Edward.

Edward raised an eyebrow at Harper and Daryl's reactions but he nodded his head, "That woman called herself Andrea. Said she had her god children and was looking for her people. When she couldn't find anyone, she said she was going to move farther east." He crossed his arms, "You know her?"

"The babies? Were they a little boy and a girl?" Harper demanded suddenly.

Edward raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"The babies she had? Were they a boy and a girl?" Harper asked.

His lips curled upwards into a smile, "This sure seems important to you."

Daryl frowned, "You gon' answer the damn question?"

Edward leaned against the oak desk behind him and nodded, "Boy and a girl. The little girl was about a year older than the boy."

Harper allowed a sob to escape as she looked up at Daryl, "Oli got out. She has Oliver."

Daryl cupped her cheek, "I told you he was gon' be fine."

"So we know about Michonne and the kids," Carol began slowly, "What about anyone else?"

Beth reached for the book and began to go through the pages, "None of these women sound like Maggie."

"You said Michonne was heading East?" Carol asked, looking up at Edward.

"Said she was going to head for a small town nearby and settle there with those kids, yeah," he shrugged.

"We have to go," Harper looked up at Daryl, "We're close."

"I know baby," Daryl whispered. He glanced out the windows the building, the sky was darkening and he was worried that a storm was moving in. Daryl looked over to Edward, "Well thank you for your help, but we gotta get goin'. We need to get back to our stuff and hit the road."

Edward raised an eyebrow and carefully took the book from Carol's hands, "You sure about that?" He peeked out the window, "Looks like a bad storm is rolling in."

"Nothing we haven't dealt with before," Daryl shrugged, "We gotta go."

"Right." Edward set the ledger down, took his glasses off and looked at Harper, "The babies belong to you two? You'd think with the dead walking and all, you'd know to show a bit more restraint and responsibility."

Harper looked at Edward, "Beg your pardon?"

"I mean you just always seemed like a smart girl back in school. But you meet up with this dumb hick and you pop out two more kids?" Edward shrugged, "Just doesn't seem responsible to be having babies in the middle of the end of the world. Maybe you two should've focused on keeping an eye on what you've already got."

"Ya better shut your damn mouth, pretty boy," Daryl snapped.

"Oh touchy are we?" Edward smirked.

"Just shut up Edward," Harper said, "The boy is ours and the little girl is Daryl's best friends daughter. Not, that it is any of your business."

She grabbed Daryl's hand and then steered Lilah away towards the door, "We got what we came for. We need to go."

Beth opened the front door and just as she did so, there was a loud clap of thunder, and the sky opened up, pouring down rain. Lilah squealed at the sound of the lightning that followed and she buried her face into Daryl's abdomen. She whimpered every time there was another clap.

"Oh we can't travel back in this," Carol looked out of the building, "We'll never make it to the car for one."

"We can't stay here," Beth said.

"Sure you can," Edward spoke up from behind them, "We'll find you a place to

put you up in."

"Nah," Daryl shook his head, feeling Harper's hand tighten around his, "I can just go an' get the car and my bike, we'll pile in and head home. Start off again in the mornin'."

"Daryl we don't have the gas or supplies to backtrack like that," Beth said.

Harper placed her head against Daryl's forearm, because she knew Beth was right. "We'll stay here for the night. All we can do."

Daryl turned to look at her, "Ya sure?"

She nodded, "Yeah, I guess so."

"Oh great," Edward clapped his hands together and reached for a radio on his desk. He held it up to his mouth and spoke into it, "Hey, our guests will be staying the night. Please set them up in accommodating facilities."

"You got it, Edward," a voice replied.

"Someone will be here shortly," Edward told the group.

Harper stared up at Daryl, her eyes anxious. Daryl pressed a kiss to her forehead and then turned his gaze back to the street. A group was approaching the building and then they walked out onto the street.

"We got a place right up here for ya," one of the men told them.

"Thank you," Carol told the man, "We appreciate it."

"I gotta get our stuff though," Daryl scratched his chin as they walked. He glanced back in time to see Edward leaning in the doorway of his office, his eyes trained on Harper, completely oblivious to Daryl's watchful gaze.

They were lead into what had once been a hotel. The lobby was lit by candle light and at the front desk, there was an older woman who had a book open in front of her and a knife on the table beside her.

"This is one of the oldest hotels in the city," the leader of the group said, "We managed to clear it out and get it clean. This is where most people settle in." He leaned on the counter, "Louise I need two rooms with an adjoining door, please."

Louise looked up from her book and nodded. "Alright," she glanced at the small family, seemingly sizing them up. She turned back to an old shelf behind her and reached for two old keys. "I have two rooms up on the second floor, thirty-two A and thirty-two B," she explained.

"Here you go," the man took the keys and handed them to Daryl, "Now you said something about going to get your stuff?"

Daryl nodded, "We left our car and my bike with everything we have left outside of the city."

"Well once ya get settled, we can give you a lift out there to get your cars," he said.

"Right," Daryl glanced towards the stairs, "Give me a few minutes."

"Okay."

Daryl led his group up the stairs and then found the room at last. "I don't like this," he said, "Seems too perfect and normal."

"A little like Woodbury?" Carol asked, looking over at him.

Daryl pushed the key into the lock and turned the handle, "Exactly like Woodbury." He waited for everyone to walk into the room, and then he followed close behind, locking the door behind him.

Beth looked around the room and then back to the others, "They seem harmless enough."

"I wanna get the vehicles and go the minute the rain clears. Even if it means we're all pilin' into a tent tonight in the woods," Daryl said, "I don't trust that Edward guy."

Harper watched as Lilah walked over to the sofa and curl up in a ball. It had been years since she had seen Edward, and she definitely had not thought of the man who made her final year at school a nightmare. She looked at Daryl, "We need to talk."

He nodded, "You two keep an eye on the little one?"

Carol smiled, "Of course."

Daryl walked over to the door that lead into the other room, he slipped the key in, and opened the door up. Harper followed him and closed the door behind her.

"So that's him?" Daryl asked her.

She sat down on the side of the bed and nodded, her eyes instantly filling with tears again, "That's Lilah's dad. I don't want her to know him or anywhere near him."

The bed dipped and Daryl sat down beside her, "What if Lilah asks? We can't lie to her."

"He didn't want to know her or even acknowledge her," Harper cried, "Why should I allow her to just be hurt and disappointed by him?"

"Because he's still her father and she's gonna have to learn eventually," Daryl told her gently.

"God I wanted to punch him in the mouth," Harper said, "When he started talking about us and the kids."

"He's just a little shit," Daryl said, "We can't let it get to us. He'll keep goin' if he sees it's botherin' ya."

Harper looked up at Daryl, "I love you so much."

"I love you too," Daryl sighed and held her tightly, "I want you to stay in here when I go to get the stuff. Don't leave or open the door for anyone."

She nodded, "I wish you weren't going though."

"I can't leave our supplies and bike out there though," Daryl explained, "And I know you aren't gonna come with me and leave Lilah behind."

"You know me so well," Harper mumbled.

"Yes, I do," Daryl pressed his lips to her temple, "I'll be back soon. Stay with the others and like I said, keep the doors locked."

Harper got to her feet and followed Daryl into the other room and to the door, "Be careful out there," she whispered.

"I will be," Daryl wanted to kiss the woman in front of him, in hopes it would re-assure her, but he knew Carol and Beth were watching the pair of them closely. He sighed, "I'm always careful."

She pressed her lips to his cheek, "Bye."

Daryl nodded, "Bye."

Harper stepped out of the room and watched him walk down the stairs. She waited until she could see him no longer and then turned back to the room. She was closing the door behind her when it stopped, and a hand reached in the room.

Edward pushed open the door and walked in, "Now that he's gone. I would very much like to be introduced to my little girl."

**xx**

**A/N- I apologize for the delay. I've been doing a lot of knitting and such...and getting ready for the new semester to start. Leave me reviews? Xo **


	6. Forget the World

Chapter 6

Forget the World

"So Edward was saying that he knew y'all?"

Daryl looked over from the passenger seat of the car that he was in. The leader of the group who had been chosen to go with him had introduced himself as Mike, and since they had left the hotel he had been talking almost nonstop. Daryl shifted in the seat, holding his crossbow closer to his body, another hand on the butt of his gun. "He knows my wife," Daryl admitted, he frowned at how foreign the word 'wife,' was to his tongue. "Just met 'im today."

"Edward is a great guy. I met him when Atlanta was first evacuated. He had been living there because he went to school. Had been working and was married with kids. He had a great life," Mark explained, "Always talking about his glory days back in college though. I'll tell you what though, he worshiped his kids."

Daryl cocked his head to the side, "What happened to them?"

"His wife was turned and then his girls," Mark shook his head, "It struck him hard but he rose above it. He's such a great guy."

"So he helped to set up the Peachtree Refugee center or whatever?" Daryl pressed for further details, trying to determine if Edward was a threat at this point or not.

"Yeah and he volunteered to help with the paperwork and everything. Said it was our duty to our fellow man to help each other out. Since then we haven't had very many people file through, but it's always nice when we find them." Mark drummed his fingers against the steering wheel to a non-existent tune, "Gives us a renewed hope that it isn't all for naught."

"Right," Daryl mumbled, turning his gaze back out the window again.

"So what's your story?" Mark asked.

Daryl raised an eyebrow, "If it's all the same to you Mark, I just met ya. I don't feel like tellin' ya all about me and my family."

Mark shrugged, "I suppose that's fair enough." The rest of the trip was silent and soon enough, Mark was pulling his truck off to the side of the road beside Carol's car. "This must be you?" He asked.

Daryl nodded, "Yeah." He opened the car door and his feet hit the pavement with a thud. The rain was pouring down harder now and he didn't particularly look forward to driving his motorcycle back in this storm. He slipped a hand into his pocket and pulled out the keys.

"Robbie is gonna drive the car back," Mark called from the car window.

The man who was named Robbie climbed out of the back seat. He had been even quieter than Daryl on the drive out and Daryl had been pleased that the younger man didn't press for too many details. He passed the keys to Robbie, "Thanks." As soon as Robbie was in the drivers seat, Daryl was walking over to the woods where he had left the bike. He pushed it through the mud and grass until it was up onto the black pavement. He was soaked through now, his leather coat clinging to him. All the same, Daryl mounted the bike and pushed his hair, which was plastered to his forehead, out of his eyes. He started the engine, and then the group headed back to Peachtree City.

–

"Edward," Harper said through clenched teeth, staring at him, "She isn't yours and she's never going to be yours."

"I'm sorry but I seem to recall you running around campus the entire final year, insisting that she was mine. You even felt the need to tell my parents at graduation, remember?" Edward's jovial mood from earlier had changed, and he was colder now; angrier.

"Well I was mistaken. She's got Dixon blood in her, through and through," Harper lied.

"Funny how, she looks nothing like that stupid red neck." Edward pushed Harper out of the way, "But while she does look like her mother, I can see me in there."

Carol walked out of the bathroom and frowned at the sight of Edward in the room, "Harper, everything okay?"

"Edward you need to leave. Daryl will be back soon and I do not want to be in your shoes if he finds you here and harassing us," Harper said.

"Oh yeah," Edward scoffed again, "Because I'm concerned about what he's gonna do to me."

He began to cross the room, approaching the sofa where Lilah was sleeping. Carol stepped quickly in front of the child, her hand hovered above the butt of her gun, "You better leave us now, or I won't hesitate to shoot you in the face."

Harper crossed the room and pulled Edward back, "You forfeited any rights to this child when you dragged my name through the mud."

Edward swung around and pushed Harper back, "So she is my kid?"

Harper stumbled but she was quickly standing back up, her hand pulling her gun from her waist, "Get out, now."

He eyed the pistol in her hand and raised an eyebrow, "You don't want to do that."

"Oh believe me, nothing would give me greater joy," Harper snapped.

Edward took a step closer to her, but his frown deepened when he saw that Harper's hand didn't falter. "You've grown a pair since our days in Atlanta, haven't you?"

"I didn't hesitate to kill my abusive father when he threatened my life and I won't hesitate to kill you." Harper's words came out in a quick and whispered mess, but she got her point across.

He scoffed, "Fine, I'll leave for now. Don't get too comfortable though, and you best hold Lilah close by."

Harper turned, her gun still pointed at Edward, as he headed towards the door. The door knob turned, and then Edward was gone down the hall. She instantly dropped her gun, running over to the door and closing it shut, pulling the latch tight, her eyes filling with tears as she did so.

"Harper, honey," Carol rushed over to her, "Are you okay?"

Beth was on the other side of her friend just as quickly as Carol was, "It's okay," the younger girl soothed.

Harper shook her head, "He wants to take Lilah from me."

"We won't let him though," Carol promised, "Won't let him get anywhere near that girl."

"You know Daryl would kill him before he let anything happen to her," Beth said quietly.

Harper looked between the two women, "The minute he gets back, we need to just go. Go as far away as we can."

"And we will," Carol pushed Harper's blonde hair out of the girl's face, "But in the meantime, why don't you go and lay down until Daryl gets back?"

Harper looked at her friend and shook her head, "No I need to be with Lilah, and be awake when Daryl gets back."

"Harper, you don't do anyone any good if you're sitting her, crying yourself until you're sick," Carol said in a stern voice. "I will stay with Lilah and Daryl will be back before you know it, okay?"

Harper closed her eyes, her tears threatening to overwhelm her again. Her heart ached and she was exhausted from crying all the time. All she ever wanted was to have a long night's sleep, with no worries pressing on her. However, these days, there was always something upsetting her. Her watery blue eyes opened again and looked up at Carol, "You'll stay with Lilah?"

"Of course." Carol offered her a reassuring smile.

Harper nodded and then go to her feet. Beth walked with her into the other room, and Harper was curled up in the bed, passed out within seconds.

–

There was a gentle knock on the door and then a voice called through, "It's Daryl."

Carol looked up from the map she had spread out on the floor of the hotel room, and was on her feet in an instance. Beth had fallen asleep on the sofa with Lilah, and so all was quiet in the two rooms. Carol peeked through the hole in the door, and then she was pulling back the locks.

"Hey," she whispered.

Daryl crossed the thresh hold and looked around, "Where's Harper?"

Carol closed the door behind Daryl and replaced the locks, "She's asleep in your room. She got pretty worked up about Edward and so I made her go lay down."

Daryl frowned, "Did something more happen?"

Carol crossed her arms and shuffled her feet nervously, her eyes glued to Daryl's boots, "He came by and demanded to see Lilah. He knows that Harper was lying about Lilah being yours."

Daryl cursed under his breath before going over to the door that lead into his and Harper's room. He pulled the door shut behind him, and slowly approached the edge of the bed. Harper was under all of the blankets, her hair spread around her head on the pillow like a golden halo. It had been a long time since Daryl had been able to watch her rest, and even now when anger coursed through his veins towards the man who'd slept with her nine years before, he couldn't help but let her stay put, no matter how desperately he wanted to get the women he cared about, away from the city. Daryl pulled his crossbow off his body, setting it against the nightstand that was beside the bed. He kicked his boots off, but stayed dressed as he slipped under the covers beside Harper. He had become so used to sleeping fully clothed, in case they needed to make a quick escape, that anything else now felt foreign. The rain was still pouring down outside, splattering against the roof, and so Daryl knew that trying to leave in this mess would be a fruitless effort.

Daryl turned back towards the woman beside him, and he gently wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close to him. Harper stirred and she turned her head towards him, her eyes opening, revealing the red and puffy glaze from her tears. "Sorry baby," he whispered, "I didn't mean t'wake ya."

Harper's hand came up to his face, her long fingers brushing against his stubble, "You're back?" She asked of him, in a hoarse and exhausted voice.

Daryl nodded, "And I ain't gon' leave ya." He kissed the pads of her fingers, "Carol told me 'bout what happened."

She turned her body completely, facing him and subsequently hiding her face in his chest, "He can't get anywhere near our daughter."

Daryl raised an eyebrow at her use of the word, 'our,' but he didn't comment on the fact. Instead he chose to say, "I ain't leavin' you two alone again. He won't get near Lilah, ever again."

Harper pressed her lips to his collar bone, "Thank you."

Daryl brought his hand to her chin and pulled her face up to his. He pressed his lips against her gently. Harper's tongue slipped into Daryl's mouth and she moaned softly into him, her hands slowly reached up to brush through his thick hair. She whimpered when she felt him pressing against her leg through his jeans. It had been months for the both of them and they were both in a vulnerable place now and Harper wanted to be with the man she loved. She pressed her hips against his, grinding against his erection. Daryl growled into her mouth and then he was laying down on his back, pulling Harper on top of him. Harper brushed her hair back, away from her face, and looked down at Daryl, "I'm scared," she whispered.

Daryl's hands came up and rested on her waist, he slipped his thumbs under the hem of her shirt and squeezed the skin gently, brushing against the bone of her hip, "We've been through a lot," he whispered, his eyes on her shirt. There was an old blood stain on her shirt, evidence of walkers killed. "We're gon' get through this."

Harper leaned down and pressed her lips against his again, "We shouldn't," she murmured, her hands quickly moving to push his vest off his arms, "But I need you."

"I know baby," he whispered. "I know."

–

When Harper woke up the next morning, she was aware of a chill in the room. Her eyes blinked open and she stared at the closet door that was opposite of the bed. She shivered, pulling the sheet up over her chest and she slowly turned. Daryl was stretched out in the bed beside her, his arm draped across his face, as if shielding his eyes from the sun. Harper rolled into his arms, and his warm instantly wrapped tightly around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

"Mornin'." Daryl's voice was a low whisper, hoarse. He ran his tongue over the roof of his mouth, trying to rid the parched feeling he had. His eyes opened and he looked down at Harper, his mouth twitching at the corners at the sight of her bare body. "You sleep okay?"

She gave a nod of her head, "Better than I have in a bit at least," Harper shrugged.

Daryl pressed his lips against her forehead, "Okay."

Harper stared down the length of his body, her thin fingers dancing across a scar that was on Daryl's abdomen, "We should get going soon, before Edward decides to return."

"Agreed," Daryl kissed her again and then he was pulling himself out of the bed and reaching for his clothes that Harper had hastily rid him of, the night before.

Harper rolled over in the bed, hiding her face into the pillow as she kicked the sheet off of her body. "For a moment there," she mumbled against the soft white cotton, "It felt as if the world was still and that Hell didn't exist outside."

Daryl pulled his black button up over his body and began to slip the little buttons into place. He glanced over at Harper, his eyes trailing the curves of her body. He wanted nothing more than to get back into the bed with her and stay there, because she was right; Sleeping in a hotel room, in a huge bed with a soft comforter and bedding, he had forgotten what it was like outside. The room was a refuge and it provided a bizarre comfort that he hadn't felt, in a long time. "Ya better get dressed 'fore I flip ya over and take ya," he finally said, "You look like a desert just there ta tempt me to eat up the whole thang."

Harper raised her head out of the pillow and looked at him, her hand reached up to brush back her blonde hair, "You sure know how to talk to a girl."

Daryl sat down beside her and began to push his feet into his boots. He shook his head, "Ya know what I mean."

Harper sat up, and inched closer to him, finally leaning back on the heels of her feet, "Yeah?"

Daryl's eyes traveled from hers down to her breasts and he inhaled sharply, "Damn it Harper." He bit his lip, "We gotta go, ain't no good gonna come out of you getting me all riled up right now."

Harper leaned her face into his and kissed him deeply, her tongue darting into his mouth as she leaned her entire bare body up against him. She moaned against him and she was reaching to move his hand up to her breasts when she heard a knock on the door.

"Harper? Daryl? Y'all awake?" Carol's voice called.

Harper pulled away from Daryl and sighed, "Back to reality?"

Daryl nodded, "Back to reality, baby."

She kissed him again, quickly, and then began to reach for her clothes, "Yeah we're up, Carol. We'll be ready in just a moment!" Harper called back.

The couple dressed quickly, tidied up the room, and then they were moving into the other room. Lilah was sitting on the bed with Beth, who was braiding her hair. "Hi momma," the child greeted.

"Hello baby girl," Harper said as she moved to her daughter and placed a kiss on her forehead, "Did you sleep okay?"

"Yeah," Lilah smiled, "Did you?"

"Alright," Harper nodded, "We should get going though. I want to try and track down Michonne."

At her words there was a knock on the door and a voice that said, "Hey uh, Harper or Rose or whatever your name is?"

"That's Harry," Daryl said quietly, "Who took me to get our stuff."

"Yeah?" Harper moved slowly to the door, peering through the peep hole.

"We found someone who matched your husband's description of some of your people," Harry said, "And they had a similar story. I thought you might want to know."

Daryl moved to the door and unlocked it, opening it wide to face Harry, "Who did you find?"

"Asian kid," Harry said, "He's down in the infirmary and in pretty bad shape. It was good timing we found him when we did. Said he's been looking for his people and his wife. Described some of them, but mentioned two babies, just like you folks."

Daryl turned to look at Harper, and then past her to Beth, whose eyes were wide at the mention of a man similar to her brother in law. His jaw set into a firm line, and then he looked back to Harry, "Can I come see 'im? See if he's one of us?"

Harry nodded, "Yeah."

Daryl reached for Harper's hand and squeezed it tight, "Stay here and keep the door locked. Don't open it for anyone until I get back, okay?"

Harper nodded her head, "Just hurry back."

Daryl pecked her on the cheek, and then followed Harry out, closing the door shut behind him. Harper locked the door and watched them through the peep hole until the two men were gone from view.

"He said looking for his wife," Beth said slowly, "As in Maggie and Glenn weren't together when they fled the prison."

Harper turned back to the younger girl, her heart breaking at the sight of Beth's face, "We don't-" she cleared her throat, trying to sound stronger-reassuring, "We don't know if it is Glenn though. It could be someone else with a similar story. That's why Daryl went to look first, before we go flying off the handle over nothing."

"Harper is right," Carol began, "It's good to let Daryl look into things, before we get ourselves worked up over nothing." She crossed the room and sat down beside the younger girl, "Just take a deep breath, honey."

Beth nodded her head, but she still looked unsure.

Harper turned back to the door and pressed her eye up against the peep hole, watching anxiously for Daryl's return, and praying that he would have Glenn with him.

**Xx**

**A/N- Jesus, I am so freaken sorry that it has taken me THIS long to update. School started and I got distracted with that...and then I've been hanging out with this guy a lot (like borderline we're dating,) so I got distracted with that...and well life in general is a distracting thing. But I update now...as we have six days to go until the Walking Dead is back! So...please accept my apologies and please review...Thanks! Xo **


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